After getting dressed, Kazuya and Altria left the room together. He was wearing a simple dark shirt and casual pants, with the calm expression of someone who had taken a good shower and slept (relatively) well. Altria, on the other hand, wore a white dress with blue details, her blonde hair tied up practically in a loose bun, but there was something that drew more attention than any clothing…
She was limping slightly as she walked.
Even though she tried to hide it with noble composure, it was impossible not to notice her slower steps, the blush that still hadn't left her face, or the way she kept a certain distance between her legs while walking. And of course, the fact that she had her arms crossed and was muttering under her breath didn't help much.
"I told you we overdid it a bit…" Kazuya murmured, trying to hide his smile.
"You didn't warn me that overdoing it meant three times," Altria replied in a dry tone, her green eyes shooting a spark in his direction. "I can still feel my butt hurting from the spanks… It was a bit unnecessary…"
Kazuya coughed, looking away.
"Yeah… maybe."
As soon as the two turned the corner and entered the spacious hotel restaurant area, the lively sound of female voices filled the air.
Asia was smiling cheerfully while pouring juice for Jeanne, who in turn was enthusiastically explaining the differences between types of French bread. Skadi was sipping coffee with the elegance of a Nordic queen, listening to the conversation without really caring. Salter (the altered Saber) already seemed annoyed with the world even before finishing her first croissant. Ishtar and Ereshkigal, as usual, were in some heated discussion, this time about who would prepare a better feast for Kazuya. Jalter was laughing loudly at something, probably mocking Jeanne, while Scáthach merely observed everything with half-closed eyes and a faint enigmatic smile.
But then… they all looked at the entrance at the same time.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Sharp gazes, some almost deadly, fell upon Altria, who tried to maintain what was left of her dignity while limping softly beside Kazuya. It was subtle, but obvious enough for the sharp and, above all, jealous minds around the table.
Scáthach was the first to speak, without changing her tone:
"Slept well… Kazuya?"
The young man paused for a moment.
"Let's just say it was an eventful night."
Ishtar snorted.
"Too eventful, it seems."
Jalter narrowed her eyes, resting her chin on her hands with a cruel smile.
"Interesting… so that's why Lady Perfection was all excited yesterday. The holy warrior turned into… well, that."
Jeanne blushed immediately.
"Jalter! Don't be vulgar!"
Altria raised her chin, trying to maintain her composure.
"I have nothing to be ashamed of."
Salter glanced sideways.
"You do. Of his smug face while you walk like you fought a minotaur."
Asia nearly choked on her juice and started coughing uncontrollably.
Ereshkigal, red up to her ears, nudged Ishtar:
"Behave. You wanted it too."
"Shut up!" Ishtar shouted, shoving her sister with her elbow.
Skadi remained silent.
Kazuya sighed and pulled out a chair, sitting down as if nothing had happened.
"Are you all going to keep judging me, or is someone going to pass the bread?"
Scáthach reached out, grabbed a roll, and threw it with precision straight at his forehead.
"You earned it."
Altria sat down with a sigh on the other side of Kazuya, taking a cup of tea with all the nobility she could still muster… even ignoring the stifled giggles from the other girls.
For all intents and purposes, that breakfast was just getting started.
The breakfast table was filled with a variety of dishes: fresh fruits, warm bread, scrambled eggs, Japanese cakes, tea, and juice. Despite the initial tense atmosphere, conversations gradually resumed, but with a curious frequency: every single comment, somehow, tried to include Kazuya.
"Have you tried the tea I prepared, Master?" Jeanne asked, offering a cup with a radiant smile.
"Hm… not yet." He accepted politely, but before he could bring it to his lips, Skadi was already pushing another teapot in front of him.
"Try this one. It's a Nordic recipe. They say it boosts male vitality."
Altria raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and sipped her own tea in silence, not taking her eyes off Skadi. What did she mean by that? Was she trying to kill one of them? Boosting Kazuya's vitality would be deadly…
"Want more fruit, Master?" Ereshkigal asked shyly, offering a small bowl of chopped strawberries. Her face was still slightly red.
"Thanks, Ereshkigal. They're my favorite." He smiled sincerely, making the girl blush even more and quickly look away.
As he helped himself to some bread, he felt a soft touch under the table.
His body stiffened instinctively.
That was no accidental touch.
Ishtar…
He didn't need to look to confirm. The goddess was watching him with a sly smile, her ruby-red eyes half-closed as if saying: be discreet, or I'll put you in a worse situation. Her foot slid up the inside of his leg, reaching a far more sensitive spot than was appropriate for a group breakfast.
Kazuya kept his gaze calm, raising his cup to take a sip of tea, pretending nothing was happening.
Asia, sitting next to him, also seemed to notice the movement under the table. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at Ishtar, then at Kazuya, then at her own lap, and immediately turned her face, blushing up to her ears, focusing on her toast as if it were a sacred artifact.
"It's getting hot in here, isn't it?" Ishtar commented with an innocent, theatrical tone, fanning her face with her free hand.
"It is…" Altria muttered, narrowing her eyes at the goddess. "Especially when someone's trying to turn the table into a battlefield."
"I don't know what you're talking about~," Ishtar replied, withdrawing her foot with the utmost nonchalance and biting a piece of watermelon with a dangerous little smile.
"You're just all fired up…" Ereshkigal muttered under her breath, looking away with a pout.
Kazuya took a deep breath, grabbing a slice of buttered bread. He brushed off Ishtar's foot while chewing the bread slowly, trying to maintain his composure.
The breakfast continued with a curious rhythm, crossed conversations, veiled jabs, and a subtle tension that seemed always on the verge of exploding.
Jeanne wiped her lips with a napkin and turned to him with a gentle smile.
"After breakfast, I arranged with Asia to explore the Higashiyama district. There are some charming shops, old temples… I think it'll be a relaxing outing. Any problem with that? Do you need my help with anything?"
Asia, beside her, nodded excitedly, though her face was still slightly flushed.
"Y-Yeah! I've always wanted to see those temples with curved roofs…"
Kazuya smiled at the two.
"Relax, Jeanne. Go and enjoy yourselves. I can manage just fine, and I'm not as weak as I used to be… Just don't get lost with tea vendors trying to sell bottled miracles."
Jeanne chuckled softly, and Asia mumbled a shy "I'll be careful."
Then Jalter, still eating her onigiri with deliberate carelessness, looked at Salter and grumbled:
"Hey, since this idiot is going to meet that Yasaka, how about we take a walk too? I want to wander through those Kyoto alleys. Bet there's some small festival or stall selling exotic meat skewers."
Salter, without looking up much from her plate, replied:
"If there's a shop with antique swords, I'm in."
"Of course there is. This is Kyoto, not Kuoh…" Jalter shot back with a wide grin.
"Then it's settled." Salter raised her head, looking at Kazuya. "So, Master, don't even think we're going to follow you around. We've got better things to do than watch diplomatic meetings."
Kazuya raised his hands in mock surrender with an ironic smile.
"You're free. Just try not to destroy national historical heritage."
"No promises," the two said in unison.
Skadi finished her tea silently and adjusted her hair with elegance before speaking:
"I'll stay at the hotel. Kyoto has a certain… unpleasant heat. And, honestly, watching the competition for your affection in public has already tired me out enough for one day."
"You're saying that now," Ishtar muttered, "but if Kazuya faints right now, you'll be the first to rush to save him."
"Of course," Skadi replied emotionlessly, "but only out of pride. I won't let a man who owes me a favor die before paying it."
Altria sighed, delicately adjusting the skirt of her dress.
"If no one else is going, I'll accompany him."
"Me too!" Ereshkigal said quickly, raising her hand before her courage evaporated.
Ishtar raised an eyebrow, looking at the two.
"And if he needs someone with charisma and tact to deal with Yasaka? A diplomatic goddess, for example?"
"You?" Altria replied with a sidelong glance.
"You don't have a filter even when you're sleeping," Ereshkigal added.
Ishtar smiled, unfazed.
"Well, that's why he likes me."
Kazuya finished his bread and stood up.
"Alright. I'm going to meet Yasaka. Whoever wants to come, come… but no fighting, okay?"
The silence that followed was… suspicious.
Scáthach finally spoke, with a thoughtful tone:
"I also plan to take a walk, so you'll be on your own, my disciple…"
"Got it," Kazuya nodded.
The breakfast continued at its calm pace—or at least, as calm as possible with a group like that gathered at the same table.
Kazuya remained composed, offering smiles and casual comments while trying a bit of everything: buttered bread, Nordic tea he suspected contained something indecent, fresh fruits, and even some of the omelet Jeanne served with care.
The silence that had threatened to emerge earlier had dissipated, replaced by an atmosphere of normalcy.
Jeanne was the first to stand.
"Asia? Let's go before the sun gets too strong."
"Yes! I'm ready." Asia smiled, adjusting the light hat she had already set aside. She gave Kazuya one last look, as if wanting to say something, but only smiled shyly.
"Good luck with Lady Yasaka, Master," Jeanne said kindly before leaving with the small ex-nun by her side.
"Take care…" he replied, watching the two leave the dining area. It was curious to see Jeanne, the holy warrior, walking side by side with Asia as if they were older sisters exploring a tourist district.
But he thought it was great. Jeanne deserved a happy life… In fact, all his Servants did, and though he often needed their strength, he always tried not to involve them in problems he himself had caused…
Shortly after, Jalter stretched like a lazy cat and grumbled:
"Enough. If I stay here much longer, I'll end up shoving a croissant in someone's face."
Salter, beside her, pushed her chair back with her foot and stood up. She looked at Kazuya and said matter-of-factly:
"If something goes wrong with the fox, let us know. But only if it's serious. Otherwise, we'll be busy with meat and swords."
"Got it…" he replied, amused by the contrast between their almost synchronized behavior and their completely opposite personalities.
The two left without further ado, and then it was Scáthach's turn to rise with her natural elegance. She finished her last sip of tea, looked at Kazuya with a small smile, and said:
"Avoid dying. It would save me the trouble of resurrecting you."
"I'll try," he replied with a nod.
Scáthach walked away and vanished into her spirit form…
Skadi was the last to say goodbye. Silently, she rose with the dignity of a queen and said only:
"Don't bother me."
Then she headed to her room as if nothing else in the world mattered to her.
And, finally, only four remained.
Kazuya, sitting calmly, looked at the three women left: Altria, Ishtar, and Ereshkigal. It was a peculiar lineup—the King of Knights who chose the Holy Lance as her weapon, a goddess of love with a knack for causing chaos, and an underworld queen whose shyness masked her immense power.
"Well," he said, breaking the brief silence, "I think we should get ready. Yasaka is probably waiting for us at the main temple in the Gion district, as I arranged with Shuten Douji yesterday to inform her, and… well, it's a diplomatic meeting. We can't show up looking just any way."
Ishtar crossed her legs with a sly smile.
"You mean I can't go in a bikini?"
"You didn't even bring a bikini."
"I can make one appear."
Altria sighed deeply.
"If you show up in a bikini, the meeting will end before it starts…"
"And it's not diplomatic to go in a bikini. Are you trying to cause trouble for the Master?" Ereshkigal added, frowning.
Kazuya laughed, standing from his chair and adjusting his shirt collar.
"No provocative clothing, no death threats, and, please… no slapping influential yokai. You three are my bodyguards today. It's a formal occasion."
"Of course, of course," Ishtar replied with a dreamy air. "Totally professional. Super diplomatic."
Ereshkigal cleared her throat, trying to sound serious.
"I… I can be diplomatic too! I studied etiquette during my years managing the Underworld…"
Altria simply stood, took her last sip of tea with elegance, and said:
"Let's go. If we stay here, Ishtar will end up trying to show up dressed as a love priestess."
"You're giving me ideas…"
"I wasn't supposed to give you ideas."
The three followed Kazuya toward the rooms. Not that they needed to change, since they could materialize any outfit they wanted through magical energy, but the truth was they wanted to try some clothes they had bought during their time in Kyoto…
Minutes later, the hotel's main entrance no longer resembled the lively chaos of breakfast.
The atmosphere had shifted. The gentle Kyoto breeze rustled the five-star hotel's flags as tourists and staff came and went… but many couldn't help but turn their attention to the group waiting on the sidewalk, exuding an aura impossible to ignore.
Kazuya adjusted the black belt securing his haori and let out a discreet sigh. The elegant black garment covered an impeccable white kimono, contrasting with the dark shirt underneath. The white pants reinforced his look but still conveyed authority. Black sandals completed the ensemble, giving him a respectful and ceremonial air.
Beside him, the three women were also dressed for the occasion.
Altria wore an outfit worthy of a knight on a diplomatic mission: a blue cloak over a white kimono with silver details, cinched with a golden sash that highlighted her upright and regal posture…
Ereshkigal, on the other hand, chose something surprisingly graceful: a lilac kimono with golden details reminiscent of stylized Sumerian patterns, topped with a sheer black overlay that gave her a divine air.
And then there was Ishtar.
The goddess of love and war wore a dark red silk kimono with golden star and cherry blossom patterns. Though covered, the fabric hinted more than it concealed, and the smile on her face indicated this was absolutely intentional. A small gold necklace gleamed at her neck, her usual earrings adorned her ears, and her posture was far too casual for the occasion, as if she were heading to a party rather than a political negotiation with one of the most powerful figures in the Youkai faction.
"You know we're drawing a lot of attention, right?" Kazuya muttered, noticing some tourists discreetly taking photos with their phones.
"It's impossible not to draw attention with us around," Ishtar commented, smirking. "We're basically a walking divine painting."
"Speak for yourself," Altria retorted firmly. "Some of us prefer to be discreet."
"Discretion doesn't win wars, darling. Charm does."
"I just want to get through this in peace," Ereshkigal whispered, looking away from the cameras.
"Relax, it'll be fine…" Kazuya said with a slight smile.
Before Ishtar or Altria could say anything else, a black van with tinted windows pulled up smoothly in front of them.
It was the transport sent by the youkai.
Even before setting foot in Kyoto, he had ensured every detail was perfectly aligned for his arrival. Days before departing, he had contacted Shuten-Douji, entrusting the oni not only with organizing his visit but also with arranging the logistics of his reception. The driver sent to pick them up at the hotel was part of a discreet setup orchestrated by Shuten, with the tacit approval of the local Youkai clan.
The driver, a man with an appearance too human to be entirely trustworthy, stepped out and opened the door for the four to enter.
"Mr. Kazuya. Ladies. Lady Yasaka awaits you at the main temple."
"Let's go…" Kazuya said, stepping in first.
Altria followed, then Ereshkigal, who took a deep breath, trying to seem more confident than she felt. Ishtar was the last, entering with a graceful wave to the curious onlookers across the street, like a celebrity acknowledging her subjects.
The door closed with a muffled click.
The engine started softly, and the van pulled away through Kyoto's traditional streets, leaving behind the hotel and the surprised gazes of those who witnessed an entrance worthy of a movie.
_______________
💬 And hey — want to just read ahead a bit?
📚 For $2.99, you can read up to 5 chapters ahead, perfect for avoiding spoilers or just bingeing.
📚 For $5.99, you get full access to ALL content, no holding back.
My Patreon: patreon.com/Adam_Kadmon